1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a firearm cartridge magazine for use with an automatic feeding firearm and, more particularly, to a magazine capable of dispensing different types of cartridges without substantial risk of a cartridge becoming jammed in the magazine.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,212 to Chesnut discloses a cartridge clip with camming surfaces adjacent the top edge of the clip so that the cartridge will move properly out of the clip and into a firearm. U.S..Pat. No. 2,870,561 to Colby discloses a cartridge positioner engageable with the underside of the front end of a cartridge. Other U.S. Patents relating to magazines include U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,752, U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,281, U.S. Pat. No. 2,396,816, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,333. Various different types of cartridges also exist in the prior art. One way in which cartridges having the same caliber can differ is with different types of bullet noses or tips. Various types of bullet noses include a round or ball nose, a flat nose, a hollow point nose, a hollow point nose with teeth, and a hollow point nose with a flat tip.
Various problems have arisen with the automatic feeding of cartridges having the same caliber but different types of noses from cartridge magazines. Cartridge magazines in the past were generally designed for use in a certain type or types of firearm and with the most common form of cartridge having a round or ball point nose. However, it is desirable that a firearm be usable with a cartridge magazine that can house and dispense a certain caliber of cartridge regardless of the type of size or shape of cartridge nose. Thus, an operator need not have different types of magazines for each type of cartridge having a different nose. Rather, a single type of magazine is desired for use with different type nose cartridges. However, no cartridge magazine in the prior art has been provided that can adequately function with different types of cartridges having different noses without jamming of cartridges while feeding.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a cartridge magazine that can be used with various different types of cartridges having different noses. Other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention will become evident below.